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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheeb 1.

A. G. WILKINS 8x M. J. BARTLETT;

BUTTON FEEDER. No. 330,951. Patented Nov. 24, 1885.

WITNESSES Attorney:

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. G. WILKINS & M. J. BARTLETT.

, BUTTON FEEDER.

INVENTOR$ Patented Nov. 24, 1885.

flaw M Attorney WITNESSES WWW (No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. G. WILKINS M. J. BARTLETT.

BUTTON FEEDER.

N0. 330,951. Patented Nov 24, 1885.

v WITNESSES .Attarne'y UNITED STATES PATENT Ornate,

ALEXANDER G. VVILKINS, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND MARCUS J. BARTLETT, OF OHARDON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE RAILWAY SPEED RECORDER COMPANY, OF KENT, OHIO.

FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION iorming part of Letters Patent No. 330,951, dated November 24-, 1885.

Application filed July 7, 1885. Serial No.170,899. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER G. WIL- KINS, of Meadville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, and MARCUS J.

BARTLETT, of Ohardon, Geauga county, Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Button- Feeder to Feed Buttons to Attaching-Machines; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved button-feeder, having the side of the casing cut away to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 4 is a vertical sec tion on line 00 x of Fig. 3.

The cbjectof our invention is to provide a 23 mechanism to feed buttons singly to a machine for attaching them to fabrics; and our invention consists of a primary receptacle for the buttons and a traveling plate provided with a groove into which the button-eyes drop and 2 5 conduct the buttons by an intermittent feed motion to a tube or chute, that in turn conducts them to the fastening-point.

Our invention also consists in sundry details of construction and combinations of devices,

0 as will be hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use our invent-ion, we will proceed to describe the exact manner in-which we hav 3 5 carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is a shell creasing to receive the buttons, which is supported in any convenient manner in such juxtaposition to the button-securing machine as to be avail- 0 able and be operated by a pawl or equivalent device moved by the operating parts of the fastening-machine. This casing A has on its bottom a conical disk, B, mounted on a central spindle, O, to which is imparted a rotary motion by means of a ratchet, D, moved intermittently by any desired means. On the face of this disk B are, cut spiral or diagonal grooves a, calculated to direct the buttons on the disk toward its circumference. A short 5c distance inside its outer edge the disk is provided with groove 1) in its upper surface, and as the disk moves, the buttons are so shaken, jarred, or changed in position that the eyes of the buttons drop into and engage with groove b in such a manner that the progress of the disk carries along in the groove a series of buttons and delivers them, one by one, to a pair of spring plates or fingers, d d, which conduct the buttons in turn to a slotted conductor or chute, E, through which they are carried to the fastening-point;

The spring-fingers d d form a continuation, as it were, of the slotted bottom of the chute, passing from the end of the chute E, where it is secured to the casing, into the receptacle, and curving around to follow the contour of the shell. The slot 6 and its continuation 6 lie coincident with the groove b in the disk, the extreme ends of the fingers or plates being depressed against the surface of the disk, so as to lie exactly in the path of the travel of the body of the approaching button being carried by the moving disk B, the body of the button riding up on the spring plates or fingers,and its eye passing between said fingers, each succeeding button serving to crowd the preceding ones into the chute E, which, being inclined, guides the buttons to their fastenings. Immediately over the spring plates at d is a defiectingguide secured to the inside of the casing, for the purpose of deflecting from the spring-fingers all buttons that have not their eyes resting in the slot or groove b in the disk. This deflecting-guide is made in two pieces. One (lettered f is stationary, and the other, f, is adjustable, as seen at g, by means of a bolt, h, projecting through the slot h in the casing, and secured by a thumbnut. The adjustable section enables the deflecting-guideto be set to suit various sizes of buttons.

If the shell or casing A should be filled with buttons or a large quantity be resting on the disk B, it would, in a measure, prevent the successful operation of the feed, owing to the superimposed weight on the moving parts. To avoid this we place within the casing, and supported by the cross-piece G, a rectangular plate, H, the projecting portion 2' of which has its edge in general contour out semiciroumo lar, but is recessed at Z to form an opening for the buttons to drop through onto the disk B gradually and continuously, the rectangular plate and the side of the casing forming a chamber for storage of a button-supply for the disk B.

The whole device being set with a pitch or incline, as shown, gravity in a measure will obviously aid the continued progress of the button.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The casing A, in combination with an interior conical disk, B, adapted to be intermittently moved, and provided with groove 7) and diagonal ball-grooves, and the slotted chute E, substantially as described.

2. In a button-feeding device, the slotted chute E, in combination with the spring-fingers d cl and a device, substantially as described, to feed the buttons to the fingers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The supplemental button receptacle formed by the plate H, in combination with the casing A, disk B, 'springfingers d d, and chute E, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

4. In combination with a button-feeding device, substantially as described, the adjustable defiecting-guide f g, for the purpose specified.

. ALEXANDER G. WILKINS. MARCUS J. BARTLETT. Witnesses:

J. B. MILLER, GEO. O. BIcE. 

